Danny Way
'Danny Way '''is a skater featured in all Skate games. Danny Way was born in Portland, Oregon, United States (U.S.). His childhood was marred by difficult circumstances.4 His father, Dennis Way, died before Danny's first birthday – Dennis was jailed for failing to pay child support to his previous wife, and after nine days in jail was found hanged in his cell; his death was ruled a suicide.4 Following his father's death, his mother Mary abused various drugs and dated a number of men who abused Mary, Danny, and his brother Damon.4 Mary subsequently remarried, to Tim O'Dea, who introduced Danny and Damon to skateboarding and surfing. The couple subsequently divorced and Tim died following a surfing session. Danny lost another adult in his life when his childhood mentor Mike Ternasky died in a car accident. Professional skateboarding Way was introduced in the Powell Peralta skateboard company's video "Public Domain" in the late 80's and H-Street skateboard company's videos ''Shackle Me Not and Hokus Pokus and, shortly afterwards in 1991, co-founded the skateboard company Plan B, together with Mike Ternasky.5 He has been injured repeatedly, including breaking his neck in 1994, and as of 2009 having undergone 13 operations.3 Plan B (1991–1998) The Plan B company was formed as part of the Dwindle Distribution company, at that time overseen by Steve Rocco and Rodney Mullen, and, like Way, Ternasky was also formerly with H-Street, where he co-managed the company with Tony Magnusson. Ternasky, to the dismay of Magnusson, managed to convince numerous H-Street team riders to resign and assist with the development of the new brand.6 Ternasky's intention was to create a "super team" with riders such as Way, Colin McKay, Mullen, Mike Carroll, Matt Hensley, Rick Howard and Tas Pappas.5 Plan B (2005–onwards) Danny Way (far right foreground) with other skaters, 2007 (photo: Dilia Oviedo) Around 2005 rumors emerged in regard to a plan, devised by Way and McKay, to relaunch Plan B. Second-phase team member Paul Rodriguez has referred to this period as a time when Way and McKay were talking about "bringing back the dream; awakening the giant", while fellow recruit PJ Ladd has stated, "I had heard about it. That there was like a rumor that Plan B was maybe gonna come back and I think it had gotten around how much a fan of it I was as a kid."7 In 2005, with the financial backing of Syndrome Distribution, Way and McKay reformed Plan B Skateboards, maintaining their roles as company co-owners, as well as professional skaters.89 Way has explained, "For the sake of what we were a part of, I think Colin and I, you know, didn't want to let go of the formula that gave us the motivation that pumped out all of those videos and stuff that we were able to pump out." Way has revealed that, while he and McKay are the co-owners of the relaunched company, they have adopted the business model that they learnt of from Ternasky during his time running the first phase of the company.7 In January 2013, Way provided his perspective on the company's team in an interview for the online magazine, Jenkem: Sponsorship As of March 2013, Way is sponsored by the Independent Truck Company, DC Shoes, Pacific Drive,11 Plan B skateboards (he is the co-owner with McKay), Nixon,12MegaRamp, Capix,13 and ASEC.141516 Way's brother Damon Way co-founded the DC Shoes company with Ken Block.17 Reflections In 2013 Way reflected on the changes that he has observed over more than twenty years of skateboarding: As the first and only person to ollie over the Great Wall of China (in 2005),181920 Way provided insight into his mental preparation on the day in a 2013 interview: Awards and achievements * 1986: Winner of the first contest he entered at eleven years of age * 1989: Winner of the first vert contest he entered in Michigan, U.S. * 1991: Thrasher magazine "Skater Of The Year"21 * 1997: World record for "Biggest Air" – 12 feet (3.7 m) kickflip * 1997: First skateboarder to drop into a ramp from a helicopter * 2002: World record for "Long Distance Jump" – 65 feet (20 m) * 2002: World record for "Biggest Air" – 18 feet (5.5 m) 3 inches (7.6 cm) above the top of a ramp (this record was subsequently broken) * 2003: Second world record for "Long Distance Jump" on June 19 at the Point X Camp mega ramp – surpassed his own previous record with a distance of 75 feet (23 m) * 2003: Second world record for "Biggest Air" – surpassed his own previous record with a distance of 23.5 feet (7.2 m) above the top of a ramp * 2004: Gold medal at X Games * 2004: Third world record for "Long Distance Jump" on June 19 at X Games – surpassed his own previous record with a distance of 79 feet (24 m) * 2004: Second Thrasher "Skater Of The Year" award22 * 2005: First skateboarder to jump over the Great Wall Of China on a skateboard (Way performed this jump with a broken foot after failing a practice jump the day before.)3 * 2005: "Big Air" Gold medal at X Games XI * 2006: "Big Air" Gold medal at X Games XII * 2006: First skateboarder to perform the "El Camino" ("rocket grab" backflip) skateboard trick on a mega ramp – Mexico City, Mexico23 * 2006: First skateboarder to drop into a ramp from the top of the guitar sculpture at the Hard Rock Cafe & Casino in Las Vegas, U.S. – a height of 82 feet (25 m)24 * 2009: World record for land speed on a skateboard – assisted by professional skateboarder and entrepreneur Rob Dyrdek25 * 2009: Winner of the inaugural "Big Air Rail Jam" event at X Games XV – Staples Center, Los Angeles, U.S. Waiting For Lightning In early 2012, a public announcement was released for a documentary in which Way's life is explored. Entitled Waiting For Lightning, the film focuses on the details of the first four decades of Way's life, including his childhood, the development that led to his career as a professional skateboarder, and a major project that was being constructed in China around the same time period that the documentary was being filmed.26 Way embarked on a tour in support of the documentary that included presentations in Canada and Australia. While Way was in Australia to promote the film, Australian skateboard photographer Steve Gourlay created a portrait of Way standing at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia.27 Way was also photographed at the Melbourne premiere with Australian vert skateboarders Dom Kekich and Tas Pappas.28 Musicedit Way has been involved in numerous musical projects, such as "Escalera", a band formed with fellow professional skateboarder Bob Burnquist.12 Way revealed in the 2013 Jenkem interview that he had most recently collaborated with hip hop artists such as Mod Sun and Stevie J, explaining that he gravitates towards electronic and hip hop music producers. Way stated that his most recent collaborations have been "a good influence" in an educational sense, as his previous musical experiences have primarily involved guitar and "organic" instruments. An accompanying photograph for the published interview depicts Way seated in front of his home music studio.10 Filmography * The Reality of Bob Burnquist (2005)293031323334353637 * The Man Who Souled The World (2007) * Waiting For Lightning (2012)3839 Category:Pros